Category Archives: Eurovision Song Contest Reviews

Off to Sweden then for the biggest Contest until now, with no less than 8000 people  witnessing the event live in the Scandinavium (quite the modest name) in the lovely Göteborg. The Swedes love Eurovision but they love their own Melodifestivalen and music scene more, a feeling that is emphasised by the host of theContinue reading “Eurovision Review – 1985: The Great Lill Lindfors Show”

By the time we get to 1984 Eurovision is clearly on a crossroad. The world around it is changing rapidly and the contest seems to struggle to keep up. There’s no real musical relevance vs. the real world and the Eurovision bubble is growing. Gimmicks and generic ballads are taking over the Contest while theContinue reading “Eurovision Review – 1984: Diggiloo Diggiley, hey whatever you say”

It took them over 25 years but finally Germany managed to give us a herzlich willkommen from the metropole that is München. Eurovision was becoming slightly less of an influence on the contemporary music scene and started to exist in a bubble of its own so it seemed a bit of a crucial time forContinue reading “Eurovision Review – 1983: Rendez-vous with eternity”

Where’s Harrogate indeed! Wrapped in that typical fantastic British humor lies a very to the point question: what the hell? Surely there must be more attractive places in a wonderful country like the UK? Or at least one with a big enough location to provide a stage that’s provides sufficiant space? Not a patch onContinue reading “Eurovision Review – 1982: Ein bisschen world peace und ein bisschen tanzen!”

Let’s get straight to the point (not The Point, sillies, we’ll have to wait for another decade) shall we: Worst winner ever. Ever. Yes, even before Riva. And in such a great year! An absolute outrage.

Well they hardly ever do, right? As we are entering the ’80s a crisscross of genres populates our beloved Contest so it gets even trickier to find the best one. Or easier, depends on what gets your juices flowing. I don’t think any field has been this diverse and the differences make for high highsContinue reading “Eurovision Review – 1980: Que le meilleur gagne”

And a couple of Ave Maria’s perhaps? We’re in the center of the religious world – well, a firm percentage of it anyway – and by Zeus will we have known it. That introduction movie is just a bit too much if you ask me, and we haven’t even heard the winner yet – boyContinue reading “Eurovision Review – 1979: Hallelujah, hosannah, amen”

After the disappointment that was 1977 we at least got the consolidation of being welcomed in Paris in the spring of 1978. Paris has to be my favourite city in the world (of those I’ve already visited) and the introduction movie, filled with the most beautiful buildings and places in the city, filled my heartContinue reading “Eurovision Review – 1978: The best seat in the house”

After the brilliant 1976 edition the organisation of the Contest fell back into the capable hands of Auntie Beeb, who’d treat us without a shadow of a doubt to a wonderful show. That was at least the intention, but a couple of external and internal factors shattered that fluffy dream. Fasten your seatbelts, it’s goingContinue reading “Eurovision Review – 1977: The butterflies, the vaseline and the kettle”

Browsing through my iTunes on a quest for inspiration I spotted the title above by the fabulous The Pipettes and couldn’t think of anything more appropriate to kick off this review. A bit negative perhaps while I don’t mean to be negative at all as I simply ADORED the 1976 Contest. The winner on theContinue reading “Eurovision Review – 1976: Your kisses are wasted on me”